FORMERLY A DEFENSIVE CENTERMAN, KEN MOSDELL BRILLIANTLY REPLACED ELMER LACH ON THE HIGH-FLYING “PUNCH LINE” AT THE START OF THE 1950S.

A native of Montreal’s West End, young Kenny Mosdell worked his way up through the amateur ranks and made his hometown’s top junior squad, the Royals, by the age of 17. Two years later, he was in the NHL, skating with the New York Americans.

Following the 1941-42 season, the Americans disbanded and Mosdell entered the Canadian Air Force. His rights were acquired by Montreal and when he finished his military service, he proudly exchanged his RCAF uniform for that of the Canadiens.

The rangy, 6-foot-1, 170-pound center brought both speed and toughness to the rink every day. On a team where the Punch Line regularly topped the NHL scoring lists, Mosdell’s talents were put to use in a defensive role.

He appeared in 31 games in 1944-45, but only 13 the following regular season. Mosdell scored four goals and added an assist in nine playoff games in 1945-46, helping the Habs to the Stanley Cup and serving notice that he intended to be a lasting force in the league.

For the next 10 seasons, Mosdell was a fixture in the Habs’ lineup. A determined backchecker and more than capable of using his body, Mosdell was an important cog in the Habs’ machine of the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Hoping that Mosdell’s easy-going nature away from the rink might rub off on his tightly-wound superstar, head coach Dick Irvin decided that Mosdell and Maurice Richard might make good roommates. They did, quickly establishing a life-long friendship.

An avid ballplayer who approached his summer sport with the same intensity that he undertook his hockey responsibilities, Mosdell missed most of the 1947-48 hockey season after breaking his leg playing softball for a team in a league run by a local youngster by the name of Sam Pollock.

Mosdell made the most of the offensive chances that came his way, scoring a dozen or more goals in most years. Hardnosed Punch Line center Elmer Lach missed more than his share of games due to injuries over the years and was ably replaced by Mosdell, who scored 17 times in 1948-49 and potted 22 goals in both 1953-54 and 1954-55.

Mosdell played a significant role in the 1953 Stanley Cup Championship, scoring three goals and assisting on two others in seven games that spring. In 1956, he was part of the team that claimed the Cup in Toe Blake’s first year behind the Montreal bench.

Traded to Chicago but with the right of recall, Mosdell played 26 games with the Blackhawks in 1956-57. Later returning to Montreal, Mosdell spent three years with the Quebec Senior Hockey League’s Montreal Royals.

He played two games with the Habs in the 1957-58 season and three more in the 1959 playoffs. Mosdell’s final NHL game was the last ever played by someone who had worn the New York Americans uniform.